Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Assignment Booklet (Class – VIII : ENGLISH)

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL Indirapuram, Ghaziabad

Module – 4 Section – A (Reading) A.

Read the following article based on a report by health experts in England. Most teenage girls in England are smokers. They believe cigarettes help keep them slim, make them look grown-up, and control stress. And even though they know the risks to their health, they would still rather smoke. The habit is on the increase among teenage girls while it is falling in all other groups of the population. Now almost one in three girls of school-leaving age are smokers. Health experts are puzzled as to why the anti-tobacco message is not reaching them. Dr Anne Charlton says: „ We do not really know why they are taking up smoking when everyone is giving up. They seem to be more influenced by advertisements, which are increasingly aimed at women.‟ Teenage girls are more likely to start smoking if one of their parents is a smoker. They probably have a best friend who smokes, and parents who do not disapprove of their habit of smoking. Fifty percent of girls who leave school to start a career in hairdressing are smokers. In nursing, the figure is 44 per cent and around 34 per cent in clerical jobs. Dr Charltong says, “The percentage is less among those who go to university. The smokers are usually the ones who do not do well at school and don‟t even want to.” They mistakenly believe it helps to keep their weight down, although they have no weight problem in the first place. This message of needing to be thinner than thin has come over very strongly and they would rather risk their health than risk putting on weight. “One of the most effective methods of getting girls to stop smoking is to point out how much they smell”, says Dr. Charlton.

A.1. Choose the best answer: (i)

Teenage girls in England smoke (a) (b) (c)

(ii)

even if they know smoking is unhealthy because smoking helps them lose weight because they are leaving school

Health experts (a) (b) (c)

really have no idea why girls smoke. do not understand why girls give up smoking do not understand the anti-tobacco message

==============================================

31

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Assignment Booklet (Class – VIII : ENGLISH)

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL Indirapuram, Ghaziabad

FINITES AND NON-FINITES Verbs can be divided into two:1) Finites 2)Non-finites Finite Verbs: They are bound by tense and must agree to the subject-verb agreement. Eg: I have been to London. She has been to London. Non-finite Verbs: They are not bound by tense and the rules of the subject-verb agreement. Eg: He likes eating popcorns. I liked eating popcorn. A sentence cannot make complete sense without a finite verb. But a non-finite verb is generally an extension of the sense and can be left out. Eg: He likes to read books. Non-finite verbs are of three kinds:1) Infinitives 2) Gerunds 3) Participles. INFINITIVES This is the base form of the verb often found with “to”. It is a kind of noun with certain features of the verb. This means that an infinitive is a verb-noun. Eg:- To err is human. I want you to come. He had no choice but to go. Ram is too weak to stand. The following words are followed by the ‗to-Infinitives‘:ought, want, promise, forget, refuse, hope, have, like, remember, agree, decide, love etc. Eg:- One ought to pay one‟s dues on time. The following transitive verbs take an infinitive after the object:warn, request, commit, order, instruct, advise, beg, allow, ask etc. Eg:- The teacher allowed them to go.

32

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Assignment Booklet (Class – VIII : ENGLISH)

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL Indirapuram, Ghaziabad

Though „to‟ is frequently used with infinitives, it is not an essential part of them. Eg:- Let him sit there. Eg:- I heard him shout. Such infinitives without „to‟ are also used after verbs like , „will/would‟, „shall/should‟, „may/might‟, must, had, better, would rather, had rather, Sooner-than, rather than etc. Eg:- You had better complete your work fast. Eg:-I would rather die than accept defeat. GERUNDS A gerund is a derivative of a verb which takes an „-ing‟ form but does the function of a noun. Eg:- He loves painting. Eg:- Swimming is a good exercise. Compound Gerund forms are used by placing a past-participle after the gerund of „Have‟ and „Be‟. Eg:- He is desirous of being praised. Eg:- I heard of him having won a prize. In compound nouns such as walking –stick, frying-pan, writing-table,etc, „walking‟, „frying‟, „writing‟ are gerunds. NOTE:- as both the gerunds and infinitives have the force of a noun and a verb, they have the same uses. Thus in many sentences either of them may be used. Eg:- Teach me to swim. Eg:- Teach me swimming. PARTICIPLES

Participles are verbs that behave as adjectives. They may be called verbal adjectives. They have three forms: (i) present (ii) past (iii) perfect Present Participle: They end in ‘- ing’ and represent an action as going on or incomplete.

33

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Assignment Booklet (Class – VIII : ENGLISH)

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL Indirapuram, Ghaziabad

Example: (a) Knocking loudly at the gate, he demanded admission. (b) We met a girl carrying a basket of flowers. NOTE: The present participle and the gerund must be carefully distinguished. The present participle functions like an adjective; the gerund functions like a noun. So the participle is a verbal adjective; the gerund is a verbal noun. eg.- Barking dogs seldom bite. ‘Barking’ describes the noun dogs. Its function is that of an adjective. So it is a participle. eg.- Barking helps a dog to express its feelings. ‘Barking’ is the subject of the verb ‘help’. Its function is that of a noun. Hence it is a gerund in this case. Past Participle: They usually end in ‘ed’, ‘d’, ‘t’, ‘er’ or ‘an’ and represent a completed action or state of the thing spoken of Example: Time misspent is lost. We saw a few trees laden with fruits. Perfect Participle: They represent an action completed some time in the past. Eg.- Being granted bail, he felt like a free bird. Having rested, we continued our journey. EXERCISE 1.

Underline the gerunds and participles and name them:(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)

Hearing a noise, I turned around. Being dissatisfied, he gave up his decision. Walking on the grass is not allowed. Asking question is easier than answering them. Waving their hats and handkerchiefs, the people cheered the king. The rain came pouring down.

34

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Assignment Booklet (Class – VIII : ENGLISH)

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL Indirapuram, Ghaziabad

(vii) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) (xiii) (xiv) (xv) (xvi) 2.

The traveler, being tired sat by the tree to rest. Encouraged by his wife, he completed his work. Jumping over the fence, the thief escaped. I like reading poetry. He’s fond of hoarding money. Giving is better than receiving. We were tired, having walked so far. He saw a clown standing on his head. Praising all alike, is like praising none. He preferred playing football to studying lessons.

Replace the underlined words as directed: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv)

He likes to dance and to swim. (gerund) It is no good to get upset. (gerund) The teacher told him that he should study hard. She further advised him that he should revise all the work. (infinitive) Jim has decided that he is going to buy a car this summer. (infinitive)

Fill in the blanks using the ‘– ing’ form or the ‘to-’ infinitive. Two responses are possible in some cases: (i) It has been quite a pleasant day. But now I am beginning __________ cold (feel). (ii) After she had described her experience at Mt. Abu, she went on __________ about her trip to Kodaikanal. (talk) (iii) I like __________ back home ratter than __________ a cab. (walk, take) (iv) I’ll try __________ the meeting but I’m not sure. (attend) (v) I don’t think the soup tastes good. Try __________ some lemon juice and salt to it. (add) (vi) My secretary told me that I had forgotten ___________ my cupboard. (lock) (vii) Did you post the letter? Yes, I distinctly remember __________ it on my way to the office. (post) 3.

4.

Join the following pairs of sentences using infinitives or participles (as given in the brackets): (i) She left all her property to a charitable trust. It was very generous of her. (use an infinitive) (ii) The students should be good scholars and not good politicians. The supreme court expects this of them. (use an infinitive)

35

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Assignment Booklet (Class – VIII : ENGLISH)

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL Indirapuram, Ghaziabad

(iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii)

She is rich. She can afford expensive holidays. (use a participle) Tata safari is a very big car. It cannot be parked in the garage. (infinitive) The brave warrior took out his dagger. He pounced upon his enemy. (participle) She typed all the letters. She asked the assistant to dispatch them. (participle) You can point out the flaws in my work. You need not hesitate to do it. (infinitive)

============================================== Section – C (Grammar) Finites & Non-Finites C.1. Underline the non-finite verbs in the following sentences and identify them as Infinitives, Gerunds or Participles. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)

I like reading poetry. ______________ To see is to believe. ______________ I saw the boys playing in the fields. ______________ He is a man respected by all. ______________ Tickled by the clown‟s antics, the children laughed loudly. ______________ Though Mahesh is a charming boy, he is also very annoying. ______________ (vii) She was angry at Rhea trying to lie to her. ______________ (viii) I was determined to increase my salary by managing a little farm. ______________ (ix) Success is not merely winning applause. ______________ (x) Singing to herself was her chief delight. ______________

C.2. You have learnt about participles, gerunds and infinitives in your earlier classes. They are non-finite verbs. With the help of the information given below, complete the paragraph on how to operate a microwave oven using suitable non-finite verbs. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)

Do not use without reading the instructions Then plug the lead to wire Fill glass bowl with food to be cooked Stir food from inside to outside Place bowl on glass plate in microwave Set temperature as required

36

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Assignment Booklet (Class – VIII : ENGLISH)

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL Indirapuram, Ghaziabad

(vii) Cover dish to hasten cooking process (viii) Shut door of the oven (ix) Once time is over, oven will beep. Take out the dish The instructional manual warns us against ______________ the appliance without ______________ the lead wire. The food ______________ cooked is put in a glass bowl. Remember ______________ the food from inside to outside. The next step is ______________the bowl on the glass plate in the oven. Don‟t forget ______________ the dish oven at the required temperature. ______________ the dish can hasten the ______________ process. Take care ______________ the door of the oven carefully. Remember ______________ out the dish after the oven sounds the beeps. C.3. Complete each sentence by adding a suitable Infinitive, Present Participle or Gerund form of the Verb. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v)

Bad weather compelled us ______________ indoors. ______________ their hats and handkerchiefs, the people cheered the king. She is very clever at ______________ excuses. ______________ by hunger, he stole a piece of bread. ______________ the room, I found the light quite dazzling.

C.4. Fill in the blanks with suitable gerunds, infinitives or participles. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (vii)

They were at school when the emphasis was more on ______________ (teach) rather than ______________. (learn) Ridhima spent the afternoon ______________ (shop) with grandma. When Yana began ______________ (sing) the baby began ______________. (cry) We both love ______________ (dance) while Anne loves ______________. (talk) He went on ______________ (argue) about the political consequences. He didn‟t bother ______________ (complain) about the noise from the neighbour‟s house last night. I enjoy ______________ (watch) horror movies. Susan wants ______________ (migrate) to Australia.

37

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com Assignment Booklet (Class – VIII : ENGLISH)

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL Indirapuram, Ghaziabad

Section – D (Literature) The Day I Rescued Albert Einstein‘s Compass D.1. ―I should hate to lose it.‖ (i) (ii)

Who is „I‟ here? What would he hate to lose?

D.2. What did Einstein look like? D.3. What qualities of him does the story reveal? D.4

―We had an adventure.‖ (i)

Who are „we‟ here?

(ii)

What was the adventure?

English is Fun- 2 Cross out the word that does not belong to the group. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v)

millionaire metaphor triangle hamlet mandolin

accountant preposition hexagon villa banjo

detective conjunction trisect mansion musician

wealth interjection trapezium castle guitar

Proverb Time P.8. A flower blooms more than once.

–

P.9. A friend‟s eye is a good mirror. –

If you miss an occasion, you can avail of it at another time. A real friend will tell you the truth.

==============================================

38

Downloaded from www.studiestoday.com